Couple names baby girl after Olive Garden

Will baby Olivia get unlimited breadsticks from her namesake?

An Olive Garden restaurant in Danvers, Massachusetts (Anthony92931/Wikimedia Creative Commons )

Is there a restaurant you love so much you would name your firstborn child after it? For one couple, that restaurant is Olive Garden.

Justin and Jordan Garton of Arkansas were overjoyed when they found out they were expecting their first child, a girl, in December 2017. And they knew just what to name her.

According to ABC News, who interviewed the happy couple on their unique name choice, the Gartons had already decided they wanted to give her a name with “Italian origins.” After rejecting the name Olive Garton, for fear their daughter may run into bullies, the couple decided on “Olivia Garton,” which they view as a much more subtle ode to their favourite restaurant.

While the Gartons may have taken their love of the Italian eatery-chain to a new level, they are certainly not alone in their passion for Olive Garden.

The third-biggest restaurant chain of its kind by sales, coming in after Applebee’s and Chili’s, Olive Garden is beloved by many who flock to the restaurant for its unlimited pasta and breadsticks.

A restaurant built around the premise that guests are treated like family, Olive Garden has become a staple for many Americans looking for a cheap dining out option. According to David Pickens, the president of Olive Garden, the restaurant promises “an idealised Italian family meal, whether you’re Italian or not.” The company even adopted the tagline, “When you’re here, you’re family” when they realized just how important this familiar family aspect of Olive Garden dining is to its patrons.

It is no wonder then why the Garton’s decided to name their future child after the restaurant. For many Americans, Olive Garden is seen as much more than a quick affordable bite, and has instead come to encompass the idea of family dining and coming together, just as a traditional Italian family would.

And for those who question the Italian authenticity of the chain, it should be known that “Eleven times a year, the company sends 14 top employees to spend a week in a 11th-century village in Tuscany and learn from Sergio and Daniela Zingarelli, a husband and wife who operate a restaurant, winery, and inn.”

As for Olive Garden’s reaction to the honour, the chain restaurant caught wind of the name when dad-to-be Justin Garton “tweeted a photo of a custom baby onesie with ‘Olivia Garton’ on it, written in a script typeface that resembles an Olive Garden sign” and, according to a spokesperson for Olive Garden, the company could not be “more thrilled” about baby Olivia.